Red Bull F1: Max Verstappen carries out Silverstone experiment for Miami Grand Prix

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Max Verstappen carries out crucial Red Bull experiment at Silverstone ahead of Miami Grand Prix

The Miami Grand Prix will be a crucial round for Red Bull and Max Verstappen

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Thursday 23 April 2026 17:58

Max Verstappen and Red Bull have returned to the track at Silverstone to conduct an experiment ahead of F1's return at the Miami Grand Prix.

Red Bull are under pressure to turn their performances around, after a difficult start to the season and high-profile exits from the likes of Gianpiero Lambiase have not helped the narrative that the team are in crisis.

Verstappen's team are currently battling weight issues, alongside the underwhelming performance on the chassis, which is in contrast to their brand new power unit which is said to be one of the best performing of all the manufacturers.

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The five-week break has seen all 11 teams on the grid work hard on their 2026 challengers, with key updates expected to be brought at the next round in Miami. Now, Verstappen and Red Bull have taken to the iconic Silverstone track for a filming day to assess new parts on their car.

Filming days limit teams to a maximum of 200 kilometres per day, where they run on demonstration tyres provided by Pirelli. Officially, no new parts can be tested, and performance laps or setup adjustments are off-limits; but a new package seems to have appeared on the RB22.

Will Red Bull experiment work?

Red Bull have reportedly worked on the sidepods of the RB22, featuring a more angular design, while also fashioning new front and rear wing designs.

One account on social media also spotted a change to the halo, the mandatory safety device that protects drivers during high-impact collisions.

A small winglet has been fitted on the halo's support bar, specifically on the lower section. Wings are typically located much higher on the halo bar, so has never been before in this position on the halo.

Zitta zitta #Redbull porta anche loro la Aletta Halo
Se non vedo cose anomale ??#F1 #TalkRacing https://t.co/tJ35oTEFeg pic.twitter.com/MILgxWeYQ7
— Fulvio Vigilante (@FulvioVigilante) April 22, 2026

Whether this has any positive impact on performance remains to be seen, and Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has previously warned that every team on the grid will be bringing upgrades to Miami.

Speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast, he said: "You will see every car on the grid changing significantly with upgrades in Miami, so we will only be as good as we are relative to the others, and it’s going to be a new starting point, and one that will certainly start to give indications about where the season is going."

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Miami Grand Prix Silverstone